Heartbeat
by adacaseynovak
Summary: When Casey Novak's nephew shows up at the courthouse a month after his mother's death, Casey finds herself in the middle of a very personal and horrific case. What did her brother in law do to her nephew? And did her sister really die of natural causes?
1. Bruises

**Heartbeat**

**1**

**Bruises**

People in tailored suits, with briefcases clutched in their hands, rushed up and down stairs leading to New York's Manhattan criminal courthouse, barely noticing the boy sitting against a pillar. He'd been sitting in that position for over two hours, his eyes fixated on the main entrance to the building.

"Fifteen minutes of deliberation, I'm impressed counselor," said a tall, brunette man as he exited the courthouse, flanked by two women. The boy's eyes suddenly brightened as he saw the tall, strawberry-blonde woman to the left of the man.

The counselor shrugged her shoulders and murmured something that the boy could not hear.

The man and the other woman looked at each other worriedly, as if the lawyer's behaviour was unusual.

The boy jumped up from his sitting position and cautiously approached the three figures, suddenly feeling nervous. He knew she would ask tons of questions, it was in her job description after all.

The tall man noticed the boy first. "Shouldn't you be in school?" he asked suspiciously.

The child bit his bottom lip and shifted his feet as the taller woman looked down at him.

"Aidan, what _are_ you doing here?" exclaimed the lawyer.

"I-um-there was a school trip, to the museum, it's boring, I didn't want to go and dad said it was okay."

"So instead of staying at home you trekked through Manhattan by yourself?!"

"It's not that far, Aunt Casey," reasoned Aidan, even as he shrank away from his aunt.

"Well, forgive me if I don't like the idea of 11-year-olds riding the New York City subway alone. What if something happened? After everything…." Her voice trailed off as she noticed her nephew's lip quivering slightly.

"I just wanted to see you," he whispered.

Casey's face softened instantly as her companions watched the exchange curiously. "You should have called me, I would have come."

"You're always busy…mom…mom complained about it all the time."

Casey looked away and then at her colleagues. "I'm sorry," she said. "This is my nephew, Aidan. Aidan, these are two detectives I work with, Detective Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler."

"It's nice to meet you, Aidan," greeted Olivia, in that voice that made any child feel accepted.

xoxoxox

Aidan sat in the precinct as Casey discussed a current case with the detectives, her mind barely registering Elliot and Olivia's words.

She nodded absently as she watched her nephew from the corner of her eyes.

"Casey? Casey!"

Casey snapped her eyes into attention. "What?"

"Have you been listening to a word I've been saying, Casey?" asked Elliot.

"Huh? What? Oh right, can I get back to you on that?"

"Is everything okay, Case?" asked Olivia, worriedly. "You've been acting differently lately."

"Fine," she lied as she approached Aidan, who was seated a few feet away from John and Fin, who were at their desks, working through mounds of paperwork. He was staring at the two detectives.

"What's up, kid?" asked Fin.

"Why does my aunt work with detectives? She's a lawyer."

Fin laughed at the way the boy said the words detectives and lawyer. He obviously thought that detective work was the most exciting thing imaginable while law was as boring as watching paint dry.

"Well, kid, she's a prosecutor, she needs us to make her case."

"And what would you do without me interrupting judges' porker games for warrants?" said Casey, smiling softly.

"Minor technicality," smirked John.

"If only," she replied before looking down at her nephew. "All right, Aidan, let's go for lunch. You have a lot of questions to answer."

Fin gave the boy a sympathetic look.

"But first I'm calling your dad," continued Casey.

Aidan's shook his head quickly. "Don't Aunt Casey, please. He won't even notice I'm gone. He's at work."

Olivia watched the boy carefully as he stared up at his aunt, imploringly.

"That's no excuse, Aidan, you shouldn't have come out here by yourself. I've told you how dangerous this city can be."

"I thought you would understand!" he shouted. "I thought you cared! I'm tired of being there all alone with him. I miss mom! I thought you would understand!"

Casey looked like she had just been punched in the stomach. Tears gathered in the corner of her eyes. "Aidan…"

The boy turned away from his aunt and tried to run to the stairs. Elliot quickly stepped into his path and grabbed him by the arm.

"Let go of me," he yelled angrily.

Casey knelt in front of Aidan and took a hold of his hands. "I miss her too, Aidan. I know it's hard…"

"You don't know," he whispered.

Casey closed her eyes, trying desperately to keep herself together. She wrapped her arms around the child and he collapsed into her arms, sobbing uncontrollably, his inhibitions finally overcome by a wave of grief.

"S-she said, said you and me, we were the only people in the world she trusted one hundred percent. I just don't want to stay at home, Dad…he…" Aidan hesitated momentarily before continuing. "he's been distant ever since…since mom…d-died…I'm so lonely, please don't make me go home."

Casey knew he wasn't telling her everything and she was slowly coming to the realization that her personal life was being laid out for everyone in the precinct.

She looked up at her colleagues. "I'm just going to talk to him in one of the rooms."

The detectives nodded mutely and watched as she gently led the boy away.

xoxoxox

"The kid's lying," said Fin as Elliot and Olivia sat down at their desks. "Or he's leaving something out."

"How many times have we seen it," muttered Olivia sadly.

"You don't think…" started Munch.

Olivia shrugged her shoulders, a horrible feeling gathering in her gut. "Casey never said anything about a sister, or that she died."

"Must have been recent," said Fin.

"Explains the change…lately she's been…"

"Distant?" suggested Olivia.

"Not that she's ever been particularly open about anything outside the job."

"But that's it; she's been detached, even on the job."

"She hasn't snapped at me in the last month, not once," said Elliot.

The detectives sat silently, contemplating the revelations about their A.D.A. when a man entered the room.

"Is Casey Novak here?" he asked impatiently.

"Yes, but she's busy, you can wait out here, or leave a message," answered Elliot.

"My son, Aidan, he's missing…he might have come to see his aunt, Casey."

Instantly, the detectives eyed him suspiciously.

"I'll go get her then," offered Olivia, albeit reluctantly.

Olivia knocked on the door to the interview room softly before entering. "Case, can I speak to you for a second."

Aidan was sitting at the desk, doodling on a piece of paper.

"What is it?" whispered Casey, as she stood at the doorway.

"Aidan's father is here."

"Damn," muttered Casey.

xoxoxox

"Aidan, how could you just run off like that," exclaimed the boy's father as Casey and Aidan walked towards the man. "I panicked when I called home and you didn't pick up."

Aidan stayed close to his aunt, refusing to look his father in the eyes.

"How did you know to find him here?" asked Casey.

"He's always been very fond of you, Casey. I went to the courthouse and they told me to check the 1-6 precinct."

"Well, now that you're here, maybe the three of us can go for lunch," proposed Casey as she placed a reassuring hand on her nephew's shoulder.

"I haven't got time for this nonsense. I have to get back to work. I just came to take Aidan home," he replied, irritably.

Aidan tensed and drew nearer to Casey.

"Let Aidan stay with me for the weekend then. I haven't seen much of him lately and I think he might need a change of scenery. After everything that's happened…"

"Aidan's coming home with me," he said, cutting Casey off mid sentence.

"Tim, be reasonable."

"He's my son and he isn't going off with you."

"It's just the weekend."

"I won't lie, Casey. I've never liked you. Always thought I wasn't right for Jenny. I was never good enough for the all mighty Novak family, was I? Well, Jenny's gone now and I don't have to deal with you anymore."

Casey glared at Tim angrily, some choice words on the tip of her tongue. She glanced down at her wide-eyed nephew and caught herself before she totally lost it.

"We're standing in the middle of a squad room with detectives at every corner. So unless you want them to arrest you for keeping my child hostage, we'll be off."

"I'm not coming home," said Aidan, defiantly. "I'm staying with Aunt Casey."

"I'm not asking, son. Get over here now."

"You can't make me," he said, feeling bravery with every moment.

"I can pick you up and carry you to the car if I have to."

"You'll do no such thing," snapped Casey. "I don't know what's going on in that house of yours but he's not going anywhere with you until I get to the bottom of this."

"We've been through this, you've got no right. You're the lawyer, shouldn't you know this?" retorted Tim.

"We're putting him in protective custody until we can ensure that you're a fit father," said Elliot.

"This is bullshit. You have no evidence to take him away."

Olivia walked over to Aidan and bent down. "Honey, if your father has hurt you in any way, tell us. He can't hurt you here. You can trust us. You can trust your aunt."

Tears ran down his cheeks as Casey crouched down in front of him. "Aidan?" she asked, unable to hide the fear in her voice.

He shook his head. "I-I can't," he cried.

"Please buddy. Remember what your mom said. She trusted me one hundred percent. Just you and me, Aidan. I love you and you can tell me anything."

"He can't do anything, Aidan," said Elliot. "I promise."

Casey pulled him close and hugged him tightly. "Please," she whispered into his ear.

Aidan hissed softly and broke away from his aunt, a flicker of pain crossing his face.

Casey looked at him worriedly. "Did I hurt you?"

"No..no…I…no," he stumbled.

Casey took a hold of his shirt gently and lifted it up a few inches before she gasped. His lower stomach was littered with black, blue and red bruises.

Olivia closed her eyes and Elliot clenched his fists.

Aidan grabbed his shirt away from Casey and stepped away as the lawyer's expression turned from worry to anger.

"Don't be angry," he said, his body trembling.

Casey couldn't think. The anger was clouding her mind as she stared at her sister's son. She flung around to her brother-in-law as Olivia ushered the child out of the room.

"But Aunt Casey?" she could hear her nephew saying.

"It's okay sweety. You're Aunt Casey is not mad at you. Let's get you something to drink, shall we?"

"You fucking bastard," Casey screamed as she shook with anger.

Tim stepped back and bumped into Fin who was pulling his hands behind this back.

She vaguely heard, "You have the right to remain silent…" as Elliot stepped in front of her.

"Casey, go on and see your nephew. We'll take care of him."

Casey was shaking her head unable to comprehend what she had seen. She'd seen so much over the years with the SVU. She'd seen the black and blue bruises in her own reflection. But to see her own nephew, her eleven year old nephew made black and blue by his own father…

"He'd only lost his mother a month ago…how could he do this to him," she murmured, staring at Elliot and Munch as Fin led the man out of the squad room.

Elliot squeezed her shoulder. "Go see him."

xoxoxox

Casey slowly pushed the door open to see Aidan sitting quietly at a table, staring off into the distance. Olivia sat at the other side of the table.

"Aidan?"

His eyes snapped instantly at the sound of his aunt's voice.

"Don't be mad," he said instantly.

"I'm not mad, honey. Well, no, I'm very mad. I've never been so angry in my life. But not with you, Aidan," she explained as she approached her nephew. "Never with you."

"I didn't want you to know. I just wanted to get away from him."

"You should never be afraid to tell me anything," she said, soothingly.

He shook his head. "I didn't want to upset you," he said softly.

"I'd rather be upset than have him touch you one more time."

Aidan drew into himself and shuddered.

"Did this start after…" Casey knew she didn't have to finish the sentence. Aidan knew what she meant. Her sister would have known if Tim was hurting her son. What if he was hurting Jenny too? She closed her eyes. If she wasn't so wrapped up in her own life maybe she would have seen that something was wrong.

"After."

Casey nodded sadly. She should have taken him away the minute her sister passed. She'd always felt that Tim wasn't right for Jenny. If only she'd know to what extent.

"What's going to happen to him?" asked Aidan, suddenly.

"Fin arrested him and I'll make sure he doesn't come near you again."

"And what about me?" he asked timidly.

"You're coming home with me, of course."

"You don't mind?"

"Aidan, you're my nephew."

"And he's my father," he said, bitterly, sounding older than his eleven years for the first time.

Casey closed her eyes, not having anything reassuring to say to that statement.

"Let's get you to a doctor and then we'll pick up some items from your place," said Casey after a few moments of uneasy silence.

"I don't need a doctor."

"Those bruises…"

"They'll go away on their own. They always do."

Casey let out a small sob. _"They always do."_

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I own nada, zilch, nothing. 

Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

This is un-beta-ed. Also, I am not very familiar with New York law, law jargon and the like, so I apologize in advance for any regression.


	2. Family

**AN: **No C/O or C/Chester or C/anyone; romance does not play a role in this story; **Disclaimer: **I own nada, zilch, nothing; **Thanks:** to my reviewers, _little shit sarah_, _missa_ and _TVCrazed_!! You guys are great!

**Heartbeat**

**2**

**Family**

Casey sat on the sofa, staring at her computer screen, absently. She jumped slightly as she heard a buzzing sound. She sighed, placed her laptop on the coffee table and walked over to the speaker.

"Case, it's me, buzz me in," came Olivia's voice.

Without saying anything, Casey pressed the button. She leaned against the wall, trying to collect herself before the detective reached her apartment.

"I just wanted to see how you were holding up," said Olivia as she removed her shoes and entered the living room.

Casey shrugged her shoulders. "I'm still processing," she muttered.

"Did you take him to the doctor's?"

"After much arguing. The doctor had Aidan do a blood and urine test too. Just precautionary, he said. And he gave him some cream for the…the bruises.

Olivia nodded. "Tracey Kibre has the case," the older woman offered.

"I figured as much," she said bitterly. It wasn't that she thought Tracey was a bad prosecutor—on the contrary, she handled the Duvall case perfectly—she just hated the 'too emotionally involved' policy slapped onto detectives or prosecutors the minute things got too personal. She wanted to put that bastard behind bars herself.

Olivia sat down on the couch as Casey moved towards the kitchen. "Want anything to drink?"

"Water's good."

Olivia sipped her drink slowly, staring off into space. Casey sat on the other side of the couch, silently.

"You never told me about your sister," Olivia said, breaking the silence

Casey sighed.

"We all noticed your…distance."

"I just didn't feel like sharing. Work was my escape, I guess. I didn't want to mix the two."

"I'm sorry, Case."

Casey turned her head, fearing that her eyes would water up at the thought of her sister.

"What happened?"

Casey looked back at the detective. "A heart attack."

Olivia looked at her in disbelief. "Was she much older than you?"

Casey shook her head. "She's three years older."

"Then…"

"She had HCM…hypertrophic cardiomyopathy…it's genetic. My dad has it. It can sometimes cause sudden death in otherwise healthy people. My dad has never had complications but my sister, well, she was taking pills to regulate her heartbeat."

Olivia reached over and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Jenny forgot to take her pill the day she…the day she… And now Aidan…" Her voice was too choked to continue. Her shoulder shook slightly with her soft sobs.

"You should probably go," Casey managed to say.

Olivia gathered the young colleague into her arms and rubbed her back. "Shh, hon, I'm not leaving you like this."

Casey pulled away and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "'m Sorry."

"Don't be."

"I should take some time off to get Aidan settled."

"You should," agreed Olivia while she looked pointedly at Casey's laptop.

"I promised Sarah Jenson that I'd convict Walker. I know it's a cut and dry case but I don't want to go back on my word."

"She'll understand. Like you said, it's cut and dry…Kibre will have no problems."

Casey nodded. "If I had taken more time off when Jenny…died…I would have spent more time with Aidan…I should have know, Olivia." She sounded desperate as she buried her hands in her hair.

"Don't do this Casey. You know how hard it is to spot these things."

"But we know better…if I had spent time with him, I might have picked up on something. I could have got him out of there sooner. I've failed him. I failed Charlie. I failed Jenny. How many victims have I failed, Liv? I might as well fail Sarah Jenson too," Casey said, sounding slightly hysterical.

"Stop, Case. Just stop. Take a breath."

Unwanted tears finally escaped from the corner of her eyes. "What do I do?"

"You take time off, Casey. You spend time with your nephew. You help him through this. You haven't failed him, Case. His father failed him. You love him and that's what counts."

xoxoxox

"I find child abuse one of the most appalling crimes that come through this court and it saddens me that greater penalties are not available."

Casey squeezed her nephew's hand reassuringly, trying to calm his tremors. They sat two rows behind ADA Tracy Kibre in the courtroom during the sentencing hearing of Aidan's father, Timothy Jacobson.

"However, I can see that you are a man who has suffered greatly with the loss of your wife, and while I do not condone your actions, I want to give you the chance to rectify them," continued the judge. "Up until the death of your wife, you have proven yourself a good father."

Casey instantly felt Aidan tense at these words.

"Thus, I am sentencing you to one year in prison, with a possibility of parole after four months. During this time, you will attend counseling. You will not have contact with the victim during the duration of your sentence and any subsequent parole. I leave it to Family Court to decide any visitation and custody rights that you can have after the one-year period."

Aidan hung his head. "Four months," he muttered with resignation. Then he lifted his head and looked at his aunt. Casey quickly covered up the anger that seemed to stew within her. _Four months?_ She could see Tracy turning around and giving her an apologetic look.

"I don't want to see him, Aunt Casey. I don't want visitation," the child whispered.

Casey nodded. "Don't worry, you're staying with me, honey."

xoxoxox

"So, things went well in Family Court, I take it?" asked Chester Lake as he carried a large box down the hallway. Casey followed behind him, carrying an equally large box.

"As expected, really," she replied. "I have full custody for one year, at which point the case will be re-evaluated. But I doubt I'll lose custody. I don't know a great deal about the Family Court judges, but I've heard that Judge Manson seems to subscribe to a 'once an abuser, always an abuser' policy."

"Seems a bit biased," commented Chester.

Casey pushed her back against the door of apartment 1204. "If there wasn't any subjectivity in sentencing, we wouldn't need judges to make the sentences, would we?"

"You've got a point."

"But I see what you mean. Usually, I would be outraged over a bias but I'm not a lawyer in this case. I'm more than happy that the judge is biased against him. I know it sounds hypocritical but this is my family, so I don't give a damn."

"I understand," said Chester as he walked passed Casey and put the box down in the foyer.

"Well, that's the last one," announced Chester.

Aidan came out from the kitchen. Casey put down her box and smiled. "Thank you, Chester. You really didn't have too."

"Nah, my pleasure, Casey. Put me in your good books, will you? May come in handy when I ask for a warrant."

She smirked. "I'll start playing nice with all the judges, then."

Chester laughed. "I'll see you at work."

"Not for another week."

"Good," said Chester. "Bye Aidan."

xoxoxox

Casey curled her feet deep into the couch as she spooned out some mint chocolate chip ice cream.

"Give it a few more days and we'll have this place looking like we moved in months ago," she assured her nephew, who was crouched down in front of the DVD player, sliding in a Star Wars movie.

He joined her on the sofa and smiled timidly at her. "I feel really bad, Aunt Casey, making you pick up and move. The money…the time it's taking away from work…I know how much your job means to you"

Casey sighed, holding back her frustration as the boy reached forward to pick up his bowl of ice cream. "Aidan, we've talked about this. You are more important than money or time and even my job. You have to understand that. Money isn't supposed to just sit in bank accounts, bud. You make it to use it. And while sometimes it doesn't seem like it, even to me, my job doesn't have total control over my life."

He shook his head, still not seeming to understand why his aunt had taken time off work, fought for full custody and moved into a two-bedroom apartment (a vacant one in her building).

"Aidan, you're the one who has had to make sacrifices. Leaving your old school and friends, I know it can't be easy…on top of everything else."

Aidan shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't have any friends at my old school."

"What about that boy, Johnny?"

"That was two years ago."

"And you're not friends anymore?"

"After I left baseball, we sort of didn't hang out anymore, I guess," he said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Left baseball? You don't like baseball anymore?" Casey felt her guilt rising to the forefront again. She knew very little about her sister and nephew's lives. If she had been more involved, she might have seen that something was horribly wrong.

"I don't really know how it happened," he said, trying his best to sound vague.

Casey was determined to find out what was going on in her nephew's life. Why didn't he have any friends? From what she recalled, Johnny was his best friend. And baseball? He loved baseball as much as she did. And if this was all before her sister had died…

She started to wonder if his father's abuse started before her sister's death. Had he started to withdraw and isolate himself from his friends and hobbies because his father was beating him? She'd already suggested therapy, which hadn't gone over well with Aidan but she wasn't going to give up. She wasn't going to let her nephew's life spiral out of control because of that bastard.

"Why don't we go down to the batting cages tomorrow?"

"That'll be nice," he said, his attempt at enthusiasm failing miserably.

Casey ignored it. She didn't know how to be a parent but she was a quick learner and she was going to figure out how to make him open up to her.

xoxoxox

Luke Skywalker smiled at the ghostly images of his father and mentors as the movie ended.

Aidan had fallen asleep somewhere within the final action sequences, his head resting on Casey's lap. She had been unconsciously stroking his hair softly as she thought about her vulnerable nephew, the movie running softly in the background.

She snapped out of her thoughts with the piercing sound of the telephone. Quickly, she reached over and grabbed the phone, not wanting to wake up Aidan.

"Hello."

"Good afternoon. This is Dr. Beckenson's office calling for Aidan Jacobson."

"This is his aunt speaking. Is something wrong?"

"The test results for the blood and urine tests are back and Dr. Beckenson needs to discuss them with you and your nephew. When would be the best time for an appointment?"

Casey gripped the receiver tightly. "Is…is something wrong?"

"I cannot discuss the contents of the results over the phone. You will have to make an appointment to see the doctor. The sooner the better."

"Yes," she muttered. "When is the next available appointment?"

Casey jotted down the time and thanked the receptionist. What could be wrong? Did he have HCM, like his mother? Could you even determine that from a blood or urine test? She looked down at her nephew, wondering what more the boy would have to face.

Only then did she realize that he had become restless while she was on the phone. He was muttering something incoherent and pushing his body deep into the sofa.

"Shh," Casey murmured, soothingly as she ran her hand through his hair. He suddenly gasped and sat up in the couch. He turned his head to Casey, his eyes unfocused.

"Mom?"

The prosecutor sucked in some air before opening her mouth to say something. "Aidan…"

He scrambled out of the sofa, shaking his head. "Sorry…I…you…you looked like…like her…with your hair up like that…I thought…" He kept shaking his head, as if trying to prevent breaking down completely. "Sorry…I…"

"No Aidan, don't be—"

He spun around on his heels and fled to his semi-unpacked room. She tried to run after him but he'd already closed the door and she could hear his body sliding down against the other side of the door.

Casey sighed and wandered back to the living room, knowing better than to invade his privacy.

She sunk back into the couch, praying that the doctor's news wasn't that terrible.

* * *

Any feedback is greatly appreciated. I really want to know what people think...the good, the bad, the awful. 

I am going to play this story out like an SVU episode, in the sense that the initial crime (in this case, child abuse) isn't as straightforward as it first appears to be. On the other hand, there is a greater personal aspect to this story, as the case revolves around a main character's family. This story has sensitive topics and I hope I deal with them sensitively. Child abuse, in all its forms, is a horrible, horrible thing. I do not agree with the sentence Aidan's father got but unfortunetely, it's not uncommon. I personally believe that people who commit such crimes should be put away for a very, very long time.

And on a lighter note, if I don't update within the next two weeks...Merry Christmas...Happy Holidays!


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